At 8 feet, 3 inches tall (that’s 2.51 meters), Sultan Kösen towers over the curious crowds that gather around to be photographed with him.

He’s in Hong Kong for the launch of Guinness World Records Attractions in Asia. The family-oriented tourist attractions — a kind of interactive indoor theme park — will let visitors compete at setting their own official world records. The first development will open in North America this year and in Asia at a later date.

Mr. Kösen, 30 years old, comes from a small village in Turkey, where he used to work as a farmer with his family. But he now tours the world, promoting events by Guinness World Records, which in 2009 officially identified him as the world’s tallest man. (His exceptional height is the result of a tumor, which was treated by a team of U.S. doctors two years ago.)

“Being in the Guinness World Records made a tremendous change to my life,” Mr. Kösen told the Journal through an interpreter. “First of all, I go around the world. I can see places that I only dreamed of traveling to and meet great people. But more importantly, my health has gotten better.”

At a press conference on Wednesday, Mr. Kösen had some advice for awkward teens who see themselves as square pegs and different from the “normal” crowd.

“I used to be worried and embarrassed about my looks,” he said, but his Guinness World Records fame helped to turn around his outlook and gave him the confidence he needed.